Memory cells and memory cell formation methods using sealing material

ABSTRACT

Memory cells, arrays of memory cells, and methods of forming the same with sealing material on sidewalls thereof are disclosed herein. One example of forming a memory cell includes forming a stack of materials, forming a trench to a first depth in the stack of materials such that a portion of at least one of the active storage element material and the active select device material is exposed on sidewalls of the trench. A sealing material is formed on the exposed portion of the at least one of the active storage element material and the active select device material and the trench is deepened such that a portion of the other of the at least one of the active storage element material and the active select device material is exposed on the sidewalls of the trench.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor memory cellsand methods, and, more particularly, to memory cell and memory cellformation methods using sealing material.

BACKGROUND

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor,integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There aremany different types of memory, including random-access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronousdynamic random access memory (SDRAM), resistive memory, and flashmemory, among others. Types of resistive memory include resistive randomaccess memory (RRAM) cells, phase change random access memory (PCRAM)cells, conductive bridge random access memory (CBRAM) cells, and/or spintransfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) cells, among other typesof memory cells.

Various resistive memory cells include a select device, e.g., aswitching element such as a transistor or diode, coupled to a storageelement, e.g., a resistive storage element including a phase changematerial or a metal oxide material between a pair of electrodes.Formation of resistive memory cells can involve the use of etchchemistries to etch materials corresponding to the select devices and/orstorage elements. Some etch chemistries can be useful for etching memorycell materials, but may result in contamination of other memory cellmaterials during cell formation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portion of an array of memory cells inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2N illustrate cross-sectional views of an example of processingsteps associated with forming a portion of an array of memory cells inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Memory cells, arrays of memory cells, and methods of forming the samewith sealing material on sidewalls thereof are disclosed herein. Oneexample of forming a memory cell includes forming a stack of materials,forming a trench to a first depth in the stack of materials such that aportion of at least one of the active storage element material and theactive select device material is exposed on sidewalls of the trench. Asealing material is formed on the exposed portion of the at least one ofthe active storage element material and the active select devicematerial and the trench is deepened such that a portion of the other ofthe at least one of the active storage element material and the activeselect device material is exposed on the sidewalls of the trench.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide benefits such as atleast partial protection from contamination of active memory cellmaterials during formation processes, for instance. Active memory cellmaterials can include active materials associated with a storageelement, e.g., resistive storage materials including resistance variablematerials such as phase change materials (PCMs), metal oxide materials,etc., as well as active materials associated with a select device, e.g.,a chalcogenide alloy associated with an ovonic threshold switch (OTS),for instance.

In the following detailed description of the present disclosure,reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration how one or more embodimentsof the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art topractice the embodiments of this disclosure, and it is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical,and/or structural changes may be made without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. As will be appreciated,elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added,exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additionalembodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the proportion andthe relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intendedto illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and are notbe used in a limiting sense. Moreover, as used herein,” an elementand/or feature can refer to one or more of such elements and/orfeatures. As utilized herein, forming a first element and/or feature“on” a second element and/or feature can denote forming the firstelement and/or feature on a particular surface of the second elementand/or feature.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portion of an array 100 of memory cellsin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Inthis example the array 100 is a cross-point array 100 including memorycells 106 at the intersections of a first plurality of conductive lines102-0, 102-1, . . . , 102-N, e.g., access lines, which may be referredto herein as word lines, and a second plurality of conductive lines104-0, 104-1, . . . , 104-M, e.g., data lines, which may be referred toherein as bit lines. Coordinate axes 101 indicates that the conductivelines 104-0, 104-1, . . . , 104-M are oriented in an x-direction and theconductive lines 102-0, 102-1, . . . , 102-N are oriented in ay-direction, in this example. As illustrated, the first conductive lines102-0, 102-1, . . . , 102-N are substantially parallel to each other andare substantially orthogonal to the second conductive lines 104-0,104-1, . . . , 104-M, which are substantially parallel to each other;however, embodiments are not so limited. As used herein, the term“substantially” intends that the modified characteristic need not beabsolute, but is close enough so as to achieve the advantages of thecharacteristic. For example, “substantially parallel” is not limited toabsolute parallelism, and can include orientations that are at leastcloser to a parallel orientation than a perpendicular orientation.Similarly, “substantially orthogonal” is not limited to absoluteorthogonalism, and can include orientations that are at least closer toa perpendicular orientation than a parallel orientation.

The memory cells 106 of cross-point array 100 can be memory cells suchas those formed in accordance with the example illustrated below withrespect to FIGS. 2A-2N. As an example, the memory cells 106 can be phasechange random access memory (PCRAM) cells, resistive random accessmemory (RRAM) cells, conductive random access memory (CBRAM) cells,and/or spin transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) cells, amongother types of memory cells. In various embodiments, the memory cells106 can have a “stack” structure that includes a select device, e.g., anaccess device, coupled in series to a storage element such as thosedescribed herein. For instance, the access device can be a diode, fieldeffect transistor (FET), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), an ovonicmemory switch (OMS), or an ovonic threshold switch (OTS), among others.

In a number of embodiments, the select device and storage elementassociated with the respective memory cells 106 can be series coupledtwo-terminal devices. For instance, the select device can be atwo-terminal OTS, e.g., a chalcogenide alloy formed between a pair ofelectrodes, and the storage element can be a two-terminal phase changestorage element, e.g., a phase change material (PCM) formed between apair of electrodes. A memory cell 106 including an OTS in series with aPCM can be referred to as a phase change material and switch (PCMS)memory cell. In a number of embodiments, an electrode can be sharedbetween the select device and storage element of the memory cells 106.Also, in a number of embodiments, the conductive lines 104-0, 104-1, . .. , 104-M and the conductive lines 102-0, 102-1, . . . , 102-N can serveas top or bottom electrodes corresponding to the memory cells 106.

As used herein, a storage element refers to a programmable portion of amemory cell 106, e.g., the portion programmable to different datastates. For example, in PCRAM and RRAM cells, a storage element caninclude the portion of the memory cell having a resistance that isprogrammable to data states responsive to applied programming signals,e.g., voltage and/or current pulses, for instance. A storage element caninclude, for instance, one or more resistance variable materials such asa phase change material. As an example, the phase change material can bea chalcogenide alloy such as an indium (In)-antimony (Sb)-tellurium (Te)(IST) material, e.g., In₂Sb₂Te₅, In₁Sb₂Te₄, In₁Sb₄Te₇, etc., or agermanium (Ge)-antimony (Sb)-tellurium (Te) (GST) material, e.g.,Ge₈Sb₅Te₈, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅, Ge₁Sb₂Te₄, Ge₁Sb₄Te₂, Ge₄Sb₄Te₇, etc., among otherphase change materials. The hyphenated chemical composition notation, asused herein, indicates the elements included in a mixture or compound,and is intended to represent all stoichiometries involving the indicatedelements. Other phase change materials can include Ge—Te, In—Se, Sb—Te,Ga—Sb, In—Sb, As—Te; Al—Te, Ge—Sb—Te, Te—Ge—As, In—Sb—Te, Te—Sn—Se,Ge—Se—Ga, Bi—Se—Sb, Ga—Se—Te, Sn—Sb—Te, In—Sb—Ge, Te—Ge—Sb—S,Te—Ge—Sn—O, Te—Ge—Sn—Au, Pd—Te—Ge—Sn, In—Se—Ti—Co, Ge—Sb—Te—Pd,Ge—Sb—Te—Co, Sb—Te—Bi—Se, Ag—In—Sb—Te, Ge—Sb—Se—Te, Ge—Sn—Sb—Te,Ge—Te—Sn—Ni, Ge—Te—Sn—Pd, and Ge—Te—Sn—Pt, for example. Other examplesof resistance variable materials include transition metal oxidematerials or alloys including two or more metals, e.g., transitionmetals, alkaline earth metals, and/or rare earth metals. Embodiments arenot limited to a particular resistive variable material or materialsassociated with the storage elements of the memory cells 106. Forinstance, other examples of resistive variable materials that can beused to form storage elements include binary metal oxide materials,colossal magnetoresistive materials, and/or various polymer basedresistance variable materials, among others.

Although not illustrated, in a number of embodiments, the array 100 canbe part of a three dimensional (3D) architecture, with a plurality ofarrays 100 vertically stacked on each other. In such embodiments,conductive lines such as 104-0, 104-1, . . . , 104-M can serve as a bitline for one level of the 3D array and as a word line for a subsequentlevel of the 3D array, for instance.

In operation, the memory cells 106 of array 100 can be programmed byapplying a voltage, e.g., a write voltage, across the memory cells 106via selected conductive lines, e.g., word lines 102-0, 102-1, . . . ,102-N and bit lines 104-0, 104-1, . . . , 104-M. The width and/ormagnitude of the voltage pulses across the memory cells 106 can beadjusted, e.g., varied, in order to program the memory cells 106 tologic states, e.g., by adjusting a resistance level of the storageelement.

A sensing, e.g., read, operation can be used to determine the logicstate of a memory cell 106. For instance, voltages can be applied to abit line 104-0, 104-1, . . . , 104-M and word line 102-0, 102-1, . . . ,102-N corresponding to a selected memory cell 106, and current throughthe cell responsive to a resulting voltage difference can be sensed.Sensing operations can also include biasing unselected access lines,e.g., word lines, and data/sense lines, e.g., bit lines (for example,word lines and bit lines coupled to non-selected cells) at voltages inorder to sense the logic state of a selected cell 106.

An issue that may affect forming and/or subsequent operation ofcross-point memory cell arrays is cross-contamination, e.g., poisoning,of active materials of different memory cell portions, such as an activematerial of a select device and an active material of a storage element,during certain portions of the device fabrication process, for instanceduring an etching and/or cleaning processes. For instance, forming amemory cell can include forming material stacks and etching through oneor more stacks, for instance to define cell structures such as wordlines, bit lines, and/or individual cell stacks. As an example, achemical composition, e.g., etch chemistry, can be used to form trenchesin a stack of materials, e.g., to define word lines. In situations inwhich different active materials, e.g., an active storage elementmaterial and an active select device material, are present in thematerial stack, the subsequent etching of one of the active materials,e.g., an active material lower in the stack, can result in contaminationof one or more other active material(s) in the stack, e.g., thosepreviously etched and having exposed sidewalls, during formation of thetrench.

A number of embodiments of the present disclosure can provide at leastpartial protection from such cross-contamination via a formation processthat includes forming a partial trench in a material stack such thatsidewalls of a first active material are exposed, and sealing thesidewalls of the first active material prior deepening the trench, whichincludes exposing sidewalls of a second/different active materialassociated with the memory cell. Reducing and/or preventingcontamination/poisoning of active cell materials can improve theoperational characteristics of memory cells as compared to those formedin accordance with previous approaches, for instance.

FIGS. 2A-2N illustrate cross-sectional views of an example of processingsteps associated with forming a portion of an array of memory cells inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Asindicated, the left side of FIGS. 2A-2N represents a cross-sectionalview along an x-direction, e.g., a bit line direction, and the rightside of FIGS. 2A-2N represents a cross-sectional view along ay-direction, e.g., a word line direction, in this example. Embodimentsare not so limited. For instance, the x-direction can be a word linedirection and the y-direction can be a bit line direction. Thecross-sectional views FIGS. 2A-2N are taken at a location correspondingto a memory cell stack, e.g., at an intersection of a word line and bitline of an array.

FIG. 2A illustrates an array structure 210 comprising a materials stackformed on a substrate 212. As used in the present disclosure, the term“substrate” can include silicon-on-insulator (SOI) orsilicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, doped and undoped semiconductors,epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductorfoundation, conventional metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), e.g., a CMOSfront end with a metal backend, and/or other semiconductor structuresand technologies. Various circuitry, such as decode circuitry, forinstance, associated with operating a memory array can be formed insubstrate 212. Furthermore, when reference is made to a “substrate” inthe following description, previous process steps may have been utilizedto form regions or junctions in the base semiconductor structure orfoundation.

In FIG. 2A, the stack of materials includes a conductive material 214formed on the substrate 212, for instance, on a surface of the substrate212. The conductive material can comprise, for instance, conductiveand/or semi-conductive metals and metal alloys such as tungsten,titanium, platinum, nickel, strontium, hafnium, zirconium, tantalum,aluminum, oxides and nitrides thereof, and combinations thereof.However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited toparticular conductive and/or semi-conductive metals and metal alloys. Ina number of embodiments, the conductive material 214 can serve asconductive lines, e.g., word lines and/or bit lines, of the array.Although not illustrated in FIG. 2A, a dielectric material can be formedbetween the conductive material 214 and substrate 212, in a number ofembodiments.

The array structure 210 shown in FIG. 2A includes an electrode material216 formed on the conductive material 214, an active material 218 formedon electrode material 216, an electrode material 220 formed on theactive material 218, an active material 222 formed on the electrodematerial 220, and an electrode material 224 formed on the activematerial 222. The electrode materials 216, 220, and 224 can comprisevarious conductive and/or semiconductive materials and/or combinationsthereof In a number of embodiments, the electrode materials 216, 220,and/or 224 can comprise a carbon material having various structuralconfigurations, such as amorphous carbon, graphite, diamond, andfullerenes, e.g., buckyballs, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanobuds, andcarbon nanofibers, among others. Embodiments are not limited to aparticular material compositions for electrode materials 216, 220, and224 composition.

In a number of embodiments, the active material 218 can be an activeselect device material 218, e.g., an active material of a switchingelement corresponding to a memory cell. As an example, the activematerial 218 can be a chalcogenide alloy of an OTS, which can serve asthe select device structure of the memory cell. For instance, the OTScan comprise an active OTS material 218 formed between the electrodematerials 216 and 220. However, embodiments are not so limited. Forinstance, the active select device material 218 can be a materialassociated with a transistor, a diode, an OMS, and/or other selectdevice structures. An active material corresponding to an OTS can be achalcogenide alloy comprising tellurium, sulfur, arsenic, germanium,and/or selenium, for instance, among various other amorphoussemiconductive materials exhibiting reversible transition between aresistive state and a conductive state responsive to applied electricfields. An active OTS material can, for instance, revert to a resistivestate after an electrical field falls below a value.

In a number of embodiments, the active material 222 can be an activestorage element material 222, e.g., a programmable portion of a memorycell. As an example, the active material 222 can be a resistancevariable material such as a phase change material or metal oxidematerial, for instance, among various other resistance variablematerials, such as those described above. However, embodiments are notso limited.

Although the example above describes active material 218 as an activeselect device material and active material 222 as an active storageelement material, embodiments are not so limited. For instance, in anumber of embodiments, the active material 218 can be an active storageelement material and the active material 222 can be an active selectdevice material. The active materials 218 and 222 are formed betweenelectrode materials 216 and 224, with electrode material 220 formedbetween the active materials 218 and 222. As such, in a number ofembodiments, the electrode 220 can serve as a shared electrode betweenactive materials 218 and 222. As an example, a select device of thememory cell can comprise a bottom electrode material 216, an activeselect device material 218, and a top electrode material 220, while thestorage element of the memory cell can comprise a bottom electrodematerial 220, an active storage element material 222, and a topelectrode material 224. In this example, shared electrode 220 can serveto integrate the select device with the storage element of the memorycell, e.g., a two-terminal select device such as an OTS formed in seriesand integrated with a two-terminal storage element such as a PCM. It isunderstood that in the example provided above, the positions of theactive select device material and the active storage element materialcan be reversed, e.g., such that electrode material 216 serves as abottom electrode material for the storage element of the memory cell andthe electrode material 224 serves as the top electrode material for theselect device of the memory cell.

The example illustrated in FIG. 2A includes a hard mask material 226formed on the electrode material 224. The hard mask material 226 cancomprise a mask material such as a silicon nitride material, e.g.,Si₃N₄, among various other mask materials, and can be formed via knownsemiconductor processing techniques and processes that may be suitablefor etching techniques.

The materials illustrated in FIG. 2A and in subsequent FIGS. 2B-2N canbe formed via various semiconductor processes including, but not limitedto, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD),and/or atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. Such processing mayincorporate various masking and etching techniques as well asplanarization processes, e.g., chemical mechanical planarization (CMP).

The stack of materials 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, and 226 of arraystructure 100 shown in FIG. 2A, and formed on substrate 212, can becollectively referred to as a word line stack, in a number ofembodiments, e.g., in embodiments in which the conductive material 214serves as word lines of the memory array. Similarly, the stack ofmaterials shown in FIG. 2A can be referred to as a bit line stack, e.g.,in embodiments in which the conductive material 214 serves as bit linesfor the array. As will be described further below, processing of thematerial stack shown in FIG. 2A can be performed to define individualconductive lines associated with conductive material 214.

FIG. 213 illustrates trenches 230 formed in the word line stack shown inFIG. 2A. Although three trenches 230 are illustrated, embodiments arenot limited to a particular number of trenches. In this example, thetrenches 230 are formed in the x-direction to a first depth in the wordline stack and can be referred to as “partial trenches” or “initialtrenches” as the trenches 230 are not formed through the entire wordline stack comprising materials 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, and 226.

The trenches 230 can be formed via a masking and etching process. Inthis example, forming the trenches 230 includes etching through the hardmask material 226, the electrode material 224, the active material 222,and a portion of the electrode material 220, e.g., the etch ends/stopson the electrode material 220.

In various previous approaches, the entire word line stack comprisingmaterials 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, and 226 may have been etched ina single etch process. However, etching in such a manner can lead toadverse effects such as contamination/poisoning issues due to theexposed sidewalls of active materials as subsequent materials areetched. For instance, etching through active material 218 whilesidewalls of active material 222 are exposed can lead to re-sputteringof the active material 218, which can lead to contamination/poisoning ofthe active material 222, which can adversely affect the properties ofthe active material 222. Similarly, etching through conductive material214 while sidewalls of active materials 218 and/or 222 are exposed canlead to contamination of the active materials 218 and/or 222, e.g., viare-sputtering of the conductive material 214.

FIG. 2C illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2B subsequent toformation of a sealing material 232 thereon. As an example, the sealingmaterial 232 can be formed via an ALD process and can comprise, forinstance, dielectric materials selected from a group that includesaluminum oxide (Al_(X)O_(Y)), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), silicon dioxide(SiO₂), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), lanthanumaluminate (LaAlO₃), gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂),zirconium silicon oxide (Zr_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), zirconium titanium oxide(Zr_(X)Ti_(Y)O_(Z)), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), hafnium titanium oxide(Hf_(X)Ti_(Y)O_(Z)), strontium titanate (SrTiO₃), lanthanum calciummanganese oxide (LCMO), magnesium oxide (MgO), tin dioxide (SnO₂), zincperoxide (ZnO₂), titanium silicon oxide (Ti_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), and/or ahafnium silicon oxide (Hf_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), among other suitabledielectric materials. However, embodiments are not limited to particulardielectric materials. Embodiments are not limited to a particularformation process for material 232. For instance, in a number ofembodiments, the sealing material can be formed via a conformal CVDprocess.

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the sealing material 232 is formed on asurface of a residual mask material 226 left after etching of thetrenches 230 and in the trenches 230, e.g., on sidewalls and the bottom.The sealing material 232 is formed to a thickness sufficient to preventcontamination of materials within the trench during subsequentprocessing, e.g., of active cell materials during deepening of thetrenches 230. In this example, the sealing material 232 is formed onexposed portions of the active material 222 within the trenches 230 andcan prevent contamination thereof during further processing steps asdescribed further herein. In a number of embodiments, the sealingmaterial 232 is formed to a thickness of not greater than about 5nanometers (nm), e.g., 1-3 nm. Embodiments are not limited to aparticular thickness of material 232, which may depend on the featuresizes of the memory cells, for example. As such, the thickness of thesealing material 232 can be less than 1 nm or greater than 5 nm, in anumber of embodiments.

FIG. 2D illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2C subsequent todeepening of the partial trenches 230. Deepening of the trenches 230 canbe performed via an etch process, e.g., a dry etch, through remainingmaterials in the word line stack, e.g., a remaining portion of electrodematerial 220, active material 218, electrode material 216, andconductive material 214, such that the etch stops on the substrate 212.As such, deepening of trenches 230 results in completed trenches 234 anddefinition of conductive lines 214 of the array. As illustrated, theetch process of FIG. 2D further reduces the thickness of the residualhard mask material 226 and removes the sealing material 232 previouslyformed on the upper surface of the residual hard mask 226. As shown inFIG. 2D, the etch process to form the completed trenches 234 leaves theportions of the active material 218 within the trenches 234 exposedduring etching of the electrode material 216 and the conductive material214.

Although not illustrated, in a number of embodiments, the processdescribe in 2C can optionally be performed in the trenches 234subsequent to etching through active material 218 and prior to etchingthrough conductive material 214 to deposit a sealing material on theactive material 218. In such embodiments, the sealing material would beformed on exposed sidewall portions of the active material 218, whichcan protect the active material 218 from contamination during thesubsequent etching through the conductive material 214.

In an example method, a memory cell can be formed by forming a stack ofmaterials 210 that includes an active storage element material 222, anactive select device material 218, and a conductive material 214associated with a conductive line corresponding to the memory cell.Forming the memory cell can include forming a trench 230 to a firstdepth in the stack of materials 210 such that a portion of at least oneof the active storage element material 222 and the active select devicematerial 218 is exposed on sidewalls of the trench 230. A sealingmaterial 232 can be formed on the exposed portion of the at least one ofthe active storage element material 222 and the active select devicematerial 218 and the trench can be deepened such that a portion of theother of the at least one of the active storage element material 222 andthe active select device material 218 is exposed on the sidewalls of thetrench 234. For example, prior to deepening the trench 230, the sealingmaterial 232 can be formed on the sidewalls of the trench 230 such thatthe portion of the at least one of the active storage element material222 and the active select device material 218 is not exposed on thesidewalls of the trench 230 during deepening of the trench 230. In oneor more embodiments, positioning of the active storage element materialand the active select device material can be reversed in the series suchthat active storage element material corresponds to number 218 and theactive select device material corresponds to number 222.

Forming the sealing material 232 can, in one or more embodiments,include passivating the sidewalls during deepening of the trench 234. Assuch, the portion of the at least one of the active storage elementmaterial 222 and the active select device material 218 can be passivatedwith the sealing material 232 formed thereon during deepening of thetrench 234. That is, the portion of the at least one of the activestorage element material 222 and the active select device material 218can be at least partially protected from contamination with othermaterial during deepening of the trench. Forming the sealing material232 can, in one or more embodiments, include depositing the sealingmaterial 232 with ALD to a thickness of not greater than about 5 nm.

In one or more embodiments, forming the memory cell also can includepassivating the sidewalls with the sealing material 232 formed thereonfrom contamination during cleaning of the sidewalls before, during, andafter deepening of the trench 230 and 234. For example, passivating thesidewalls with the sealing material 232 formed thereon can includepassivating the portion of the at least one of the active storageelement material 222 and the active select device material 218 with thesealing material 232 formed thereon during cleaning of the sidewallsbefore, during, and after deepening of the trench 230 and 234.

In one or more embodiments, forming the memory cell can include formingthe trench in a series of materials, where at least one of the series ofmaterials is formed with a chemical composition that differs from achemical composition of at least two other materials with which it is incontact in the series. For example, each of the chemical compositionscan differ for an active storage element material 222, an electrodematerial 216, and an active select device material 218 formed in series.In some embodiments, a conductive material 214 with a different chemicalcomposition can be included in the series.

In one or more embodiments, forming the trench 230 in the stack ofmaterials, e.g., at 214 through 226, can include etching the trench 230to the first depth in the stack of materials. Subsequent to forming thetrench 230 to the first depth, deepening the trench 234 can includeetching the trench 234 through the other of the at least one of theactive storage element material 222 and the active select devicematerial 218 and the conductive material 214.

According to another example method in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of memory cells canbe formed by forming a first stack of materials, e.g., at 214 through226, on a first conductive material 214 and forming first trenches 234in the first stack by etching through the first stack in a firstdirection, e.g., in the x-direction. Forming the first trenches 234 can,in one or more embodiments, include performing an initial etch through afirst portion of the first stack to form initial trenches 230 in thefirst direction, forming a sealing material 232 on sidewalls of theinitial trenches 230, and performing a second (e.g., a completion) etchthrough a remaining portion of the first stack and the first conductivematerial 214. In one or more embodiments, performing the second (e.g.,the completion) etch through the first conductive material 214 caninclude forming first conductive lines corresponding to the memorycells. Performing the initial etch through the first portion of thefirst stack can, in on or more embodiments, include ending the initialetch on the second electrode material 220.

In one or more embodiments, forming the first stack, e.g., at 214through 226, can include forming an active select device material 218between a first electrode material 216 and a second electrode material220 and forming an active resistive storage element material 222 betweenthe second electrode material 220 and a third electrode material 224.The active select device material 218, the first electrode material 216,and the second electrode material 220 can, in one or more embodiments,correspond to an OTS, and the active resistive storage element material222, the second electrode material 220 and the third electrode material224 can, in one or more embodiments, correspond to a phase changestorage element. The first electrode material 216 can, in one or moreembodiments, be formed in contact with the first conductive material214. Alternatively, the third electrode material 224 can, in one or moreembodiments, be formed in contact with the first conductive material214.

Forming the sealing material 232 on the sidewalls of the initialtrenches 230 can include sealing at least a portion of the activeresistive storage element material 222. Alternatively, forming thesealing material 232 on the sidewalls of the initial trenches 230 caninclude sealing at least a portion of the active select device material218. As previously indicated, in one or more embodiments, positioning ofthe active storage element material and the active select devicematerial can be reversed in the series such that active storage elementmaterial corresponds to indicator number 218 and the active selectdevice material corresponds to number 222.

In one or more embodiments, forming the first trenches 234 can includeperforming an etch through a second portion of the first stack such thata depth of the first initial trenches 230 is increased subsequent toforming the sealing material 232 on the sidewalls of the initialtrenches 230 and prior to performing the second (e.g., the completion)etch. A sealing material, in one or more embodiments, can subsequentlybe formed on the sidewalls of the initial trenches to the increaseddepth. Accordingly, forming the sealing material on the sidewalls of theinitial trenches 230 to the increased depth can include sealing at leasta portion of the at least one of the active resistive storage elementmaterial 222 and the active select device material 218.

According to another example method in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of memory cells canbe formed by forming a first stack of materials, e.g., at 214 through226, on a substrate 212. In one or more embodiments, the first stack caninclude a first electrode material 216, an active resistive storageelement material 222 in series with an active select device material218, where a second electrode material 220 is formed between the activeresistive storage element material 222 and the active select devicematerial 218, and a third electrode material 224 on an opposite side ofthe stack from the first electrode 216. A first initial trench 230 canbe formed in a first direction through the third electrode material 224and ending on the second electrode material 220 and a first sealingmaterial 232 can be formed on sidewalls of the first initial trench 230.

In one or more embodiments, a first completed trench 234 can be formedin the first direction by etching through: the first sealing material232 on a bottom of the first initial trench 230; the second electrodematerial 220; the first electrode material 216; at least one of theactive resistive storage element material 222 and the active selectdevice material 218; and a first conductive material 214 associated witha remaining portion of the first stack.

FIG. 2E illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2D subsequent toformation of a dielectric material 240 thereon. The dielectric material240 can be a dielectric nitride and/or oxide material, for instance, andcan be formed so as to fill the completed trenches 234. As such, in thisexample, the dielectric material is formed on portions of the sealingmaterial 232, the active material 218, the electrode material 216, andthe conductive material 214 within the trenches 234. The dielectricmaterial 240 formed in the trenches 234 can serve to isolate memorycells from each other, for instance.

FIG. 2F illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2E subsequent toformation of a dielectric material 242 thereon. The dielectric material242 can be an oxide material such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), forinstance; however, embodiments are not so limited. As an example, theoxide material 242 can serve to fill areas, e.g., cavities, withinand/or outside the area in which the plurality of memory cells arelocated.

FIG. 2G illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2F subsequent to aplanarization process. The surface of the structure can be planarizedvia a CMP process, for instance, down to the electrode material 224,such that those materials formed above the electrode material 224 areremoved, e.g., dielectric material 242 not filling areas, portions ofdielectric material 240, residual hard mask 226, and portions of thesealing material 232.

FIG. 2H illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2G subsequent toformation of a conductive material 246 on the planarized surfacethereof. In a number of embodiments, the conductive material 246 canserve as conductive lines, e.g., bit lines, of the array. The conductivematerial can comprise tungsten, titanium, platinum, nickel, strontium,hafnium, zirconium, tantalum, aluminum, oxides and nitrides thereof,and/or combinations thereof, among various other suitable conductiveand/or semi-conductive metals and metal alloys.

FIG. 21 illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2H subsequent toformation of a hard mask material 248 thereon. The conductive material246 and hard mask material 248 can be collectively referred to as asecond stack of materials, which are formed on residual portions of theword line stack, e.g., the word line stack illustrated in FIG. 2A. As anexample, the hard mask material 248 can comprise Si₃N₄, among variousother suitable hard mask materials.

FIG. 2J illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 21 subsequent toformation of trenches 250 therein. In this example, the trenches 250 areformed in the y-direction to a second depth. The trenches 250 can beformed via a masking and etching process. Similar to the trenches 230illustrated in FIG. 2B, the trenches 250 can be referred to as “partialtrenches” or “initial trenches” as the trenches 250 are not completedtrenches, which will be formed through each of materials 248, 246, 224,222, 220, 218, and 216. Rather, in this example, the partial trenches250 are formed through hard mask material 248, conductive material 246,electrode material 224, active material 222, and a portion of electrodematerial 220, e.g., the etch ends/stops on the electrode material 220.As shown in FIG. 2J, the etch process used to form trenches 250 reducesthe thickness of the hard mask material 248 and defines conductivelines, e.g., bit lines 246, of the array.

FIG. 2K illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2J subsequent toformation of a sealing material 254 thereon. As an example, the sealingmaterial 254 can be formed via an ALD process and can comprise, forinstance, dielectric materials selected from a group that includesaluminum oxide (Al_(X)O_(Y)), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), silicon dioxide(SiO₂), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), lanthanumaluminate (LaAlO₃), gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂),zirconium silicon oxide (Zr_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), zirconium titanium oxide(Zr_(X)Ti_(Y)O_(Z)), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), hafnium titanium oxide(Hf_(X)Ti_(Y)O_(Z)), strontium titanate (SrTiO₃), lanthanum calciummanganese oxide (LCMO), magnesium oxide (MgO), tin dioxide (SnO₂), zincperoxide (ZnO₂), titanium silicon oxide (Ti_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), and/or ahafnium silicon oxide (Hf_(X)Si_(Y)O_(Z)), among other suitabledielectric materials. However, embodiments are not limited to particulardielectric materials. Embodiments are not limited to a particularformation process for material 254. For instance, in a number ofembodiments, the sealing material 254 can be formed via a conformal CVDprocess.

As illustrated in FIG. 2K, the sealing material 254 is formed on theresidual hard mask material 248 and in the trenches 250, e.g., onsidewalls and the bottom. The sealing material 254 is formed to athickness sufficient to prevent contamination of materials within thetrench during subsequent processing, e.g., of active cell materialsduring deepening of the trenches 250. In this example, the sealingmaterial 254 is formed on exposed portions of the active material 222within the trenches 250 and can prevent contamination thereof duringfurther processing steps as described further herein. In a number ofembodiments, the sealing material 254 is formed to a thickness of notgreater than about 5 nm, e.g., 1-3 nm. Embodiments are not limited to aparticular thickness of material 254, which may depend on the featuresizes of the memory cells, for example. As such, the thickness of thesealing material 254 can be less than 1 nm or greater than 5 nm, in anumber of embodiments.

FIG. 2L illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2K subsequent todeepening of the partial trenches 250. Deepening of the initial trenches250 can be performed via an etch process, e.g., a dry etch, throughremaining materials in the material stack, e.g., a remaining portion ofelectrode material 220, active material 218, and electrode material 216,such that the etch stops on the conductive material 214, which cancomprise conductive lines, e.g., word lines, of the array. As such,deepening of trenches 250 results in completed trenches 256 anddefinition of memory cells of the array, e.g., memory cells such ascells 106 shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated, the etch process of FIG. 2Lfurther reduces the thickness of the residual hard mask material 248 andremoves sealing material 254 previously formed on the upper surface ofthe hard mask 248.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of an example method, aplurality of memory cells can be formed by forming a second stack ofmaterials, e.g., at 246 and 248, on the first stack, e.g., at 214through 226. Second trenches 256 can, in one or more embodiments, beformed by etching through the second stack, e.g., at 246 and 248, and atleast a first portion of the first stack, e.g., at 222 and 224, in asecond direction, e.g., in the y-direction. Forming the second trenches256 can, in one or more embodiments, include performing an initial etchthrough the second stack and the at least a first portion of the firststack to form initial trenches 250 in the second direction, forming asealing material 254 on sidewalls of the initial trenches 250 in thesecond direction, and performing an additional etch through at least asecond portion of the first stack, e.g., at 216, 218, and 220.

In one or more embodiments, forming the first stack of materials, e.g.,at 214 through 226, can include forming the active select devicematerial 218 between the first electrode material 216 and the secondelectrode material 220, forming the active resistive storage elementmaterial 222 between the second electrode material 220 and the thirdelectrode material 224, and forming the second conductive material 246on the third electrode material 224. In one or more embodiments, thesecond stack of materials, e.g., at 246 and 248, includes the secondconductive material 246 and performing the initial etch through thesecond stack and the at least the first portion of the first stackincludes etching through the second conductive material 246 to formsecond conductive lines.

In one or more embodiments, performing the additional etch through theat least the second portion of the first stack can include ending theadditional etch on the first conductive material 214 corresponding tothe first conductive lines. Performing the initial etch through thesecond stack, e.g., at 246 and 248, and the at least the first portionof the first stack, e.g., at 216 and 218, can include ending the initialetch on the second electrode material 220. Accordingly, a second initialtrench 250 can, in one or more embodiments, be formed in the seconddirection by etching through: the second hard mask material 248 of thesecond stack; the second conductive material 246 of the second stack;the third electrode material 224; and where the second initial trench250 ends on the second electrode material 220.

The second sealing material 254 can, in one or more embodiments, beformed on the second hard mask material 248 remaining on the secondconductive material 246 and sidewalls of the second initial trench 250to a depth of the second initial trench. The second completed trench 256can, in one or more embodiments, be formed in the second direction byetching through: second sealing material 254 formed on a bottom of thesecond initial trench 250; the second electrode material 220; the firstelectrode material 216; and where the completed etch ends on the firstconductive material 216.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, anarray of memory cells can include first conductive lines, e.g., at 214,formed in a first direction, e.g., in the x-direction, second conductivelines, e.g., at 246, formed in a second direction, e.g., in they-direction, and memory cells, e.g., at 106, located at intersections ofthe first conductive lines, e.g., at 214, and the second conductivelines, e.g., at 246. In one or more embodiments, the memory cells, e.g.,at 106, can include a select device structure comprising an activeselect device material 218 formed between a first electrode 216 andsecond electrode 220, a storage element comprising an active storageelement material 222 formed between the second electrode 220 and a thirdelectrode 224. In one or more embodiments, the first conductive linescan be word lines and the second conductive lines can be bit lines.

A first sealing material 232 can be formed on sidewalls of one of theactive select device material 218 and the active storage elementmaterial 222 in the first direction, e.g., in the x-direction, and asecond sealing material 254 can be formed on sidewalls of the one of theactive select device material 218 and the active storage elementmaterial 222 in the second direction, e.g., in the y-direction. In oneor more embodiments, the first sealing material 232 can be formed on thesidewalls of the one of the active select device material 218 and theactive storage element material 222 in the first direction.

In one or more embodiments, the active select device material 218 can bean OTS and the active storage element material 222 can be a PCM.Alternatively or in addition, the active select device material 218 canbe an OTS and the active storage element material 222 can be achalcogenide.

Another example of an array of memory cells can include first conductivelines, e.g., at 214, formed in the first direction, second conductivelines, e.g., at 246, formed in the second direction, and resistivememory cells, e.g., at 106, located at intersections of the firstconductive lines and the second conductive lines. In one or moreembodiments, the resistive memory cells, e.g., at 106, can include anOTS 218, a resistive storage element 222, which includes a PCM, formedbetween a first electrode 216 and a second electrode 220, the secondelectrode 220 being shared by the OTS 218 and the resistive storageelement 222. In one or more embodiments, a first sealing material 232can be formed on sidewalls of an active material of the OTS 218 in thefirst direction and a second sealing material 254 can be formed onsidewalls of the active material of the OTS 218 in the second direction.

The first sealing material 232 and the second sealing material 254 can,in one or more embodiments, be formed on the sidewalls of the activematerial of the OTS 218 by being deposited to a thickness of not greaterthan about 5 nm by a process selected from ALD and CVD. In one or moreembodiments, the first sealing material 232 and the second sealingmaterial 254 formed on the sidewalls of the OTS 218 are formed from oneor more dielectric materials selected from a group that includesaluminum oxide (Al_(x)O_(y)), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), silicon dioxide(SiO₂), among other dielectric materials. The first sealing material 232and the second sealing material 254 can, in one or more embodiments, beformed on the sidewalls of the OTS 218 from the same sealing material.

FIG. 2M illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2L subsequent toformation of a dielectric material 262 thereon. The dielectric material262 can be a dielectric nitride and/or oxide material, for instance, andcan be formed so as to fill the completed trenches 256. As such, in thisexample, the dielectric material 262 is formed on portions of thesealing material 254, the active material 218, the electrode material216, and the conductive material 214 within the trenches 256. Thedielectric material 262 formed in the trenches 256 can serve to isolatememory cells from each other, for instance.

FIG. 2N illustrates the array structure 210 of FIG. 2M subsequent toformation of a dielectric material 264 thereon. The dielectric material264 can be an oxide material such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), forinstance; however, embodiments are not so limited. As an example, theoxide material 264 can serve to fill areas, e.g., cavities, withinand/or outside the area in which the memory cells are located. Althoughnot illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2N, conductive plugs can be formed, e.g., byfilling vias formed in the array structure 210, to connect theconductive lines, e.g., 214 and 246, to other array circuitry, e.g.,decode circuitry or other circuitry, which may be formed in substrate212 or elsewhere. Such conductive plugs can be formed immediately priorto formation of the respective conductive materials 214 and 246 or afterformation of the structure shown in FIG. 2N, for instance. As previouslynoted, additional arrays can be formed on the array structure 210illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2N, e.g., to form a 3D stacked arrayarchitecture.

Forming an array such as described in FIGS. 2A-2N can provide benefitssuch as reducing or preventing contamination of active cell materials ascompared to previous approaches. For instance, forming a sealingmaterial within trenches, e.g., as part of a partial etching process,can passivate active cell materials, e.g., active select devicematerials and/or active storage element materials, during deepening ofthe trenches.

Although each of the materials in the stack of materials 210 illustratedin FIGS. 2A-2N is shown to be formed in a series, e.g., laminated inlayers, one or more of the illustrated series of materials may beexcluded without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.That is, various structural features are grouped together in one or moreillustrated embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure haveto use more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in lessthan all features of the one or more embodiments illustrated in FIGS.2A-2N. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into theDetailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anarrangement calculated to achieve the same results can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coveradaptations or variations of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. It is to be understood that the above description has beenmade in an illustrative fashion and not a restrictive one. Combinationof the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specificallydescribed herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art uponreviewing the above description. The scope of the various embodiments ofthe present disclosure includes other applications in which the abovestructures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of variousembodiments of the present disclosure should be determined withreference to the appended claims, along with the full range ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a memory cell, comprising:forming a stack of materials on a conductive material, the stack ofmaterials comprising: an active storage element material in directcontact with and between a first electrode material and a secondelectrode material; an active select device material in direct contactwith and between the second electrode material and a third electrodematerial; and the conductive material associated with a conductive linecorresponding to the memory cell; forming a trench to a first depth thatends on the second electrode material in the stack of materials suchthat a portion of at least one of the active storage element materialand the active select device material is exposed on sidewalls of thetrench; forming a sealing material on the exposed portion of the atleast one of the active storage element material and the active selectdevice material and on an exposed portion of the second electrodematerial such that at least a portion of the sealing material is exposedon the sidewalls of the trench; and deepening the trench through aremaining portion of the stack, including the conductive material, suchthat a portion of the other of the at least one of the active storageelement material and the active select device material is the portionthat is exposed first on the sidewalls of the trench, other thanpreviously exposed materials, after initiation of the deepening.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising passivating the sidewalls with thesealing material formed thereon from subsequent contamination duringcleaning of the trench after forming the trench and before, during, andafter deepening of the trench.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinpassivating the sidewalls with the sealing material formed thereonincludes passivating the portion of the at least one of the activestorage element material and the active select device material with thesealing material formed thereon from subsequent contamination duringcleaning of the trench after forming the trench and before, during, andafter deepening of the trench.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereindeepening the trench includes etching the trench through the other ofthe at least one of the active storage element material and the activeselect device material and the conductive material.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein forming the sealing material includes depositing thesealing material with atomic layer deposition (ALD) to a thickness ofnot greater than about 5 nanometers.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising forming a sealing material on the exposed portion of theother of the at least one of the active storage element material and theactive select device material prior to subsequent etching in order topassivate the formerly exposed portion of the of the other of the atleast one of the active storage element material and the active selectdevice material during the subsequent etching.
 7. A method of forming aplurality of memory cells, comprising: forming a first stack ofmaterials on a first conductive material, wherein forming the firststack comprises: forming an active select device material in directcontact with and between a first electrode material and a secondelectrode material and forming an active resistive storage elementmaterial in direct contact with and between the second electrodematerial and a third electrode material; forming first trenches in thefirst stack by etching through the first stack in a first direction,wherein forming the first trenches comprises: performing an initial etchthrough a first portion of the first stack to form a plurality ofinitial trenches in the first direction; forming a sealing material onsidewalls of the plurality of initial trenches such that at least aportion of the sealing material is exposed; and performing a second etchthrough a remaining portion of the first stack and the first conductivematerial, wherein: the initial etch exposes at least a portion of thesecond electrode material and only one of: a portion of the activeselect device material; and a portion of the active resistive storageelement material; the second etch exposes an other of the portion of theactive resistive storage element material and the portion of the activeselect device material that was not exposed in the initial etch; and theother of the portion of the active resistive storage element materialand the portion of the active select device material is the portion thatis exposed first, other than previously exposed materials, during thesecond etch.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: forming asecond stack of materials on the first stack; forming second trenches byetching through the second stack and at least a first portion of thefirst stack in a second direction, wherein forming the second trenchescomprises: performing an initial etch through the second stack and theat least a first portion of the first stack to form a plurality ofinitial trenches in the second direction; forming a sealing material onsidewalls of the plurality of initial trenches in the second direction;and performing an additional etch through at least a second portion ofthe first stack.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein performing the secondetch through the first conductive material includes forming firstconductive lines corresponding to the memory cells.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein performing the additional etch through the at least thesecond portion of the first stack includes ending the additional etch onthe first conductive material corresponding to the first conductivelines.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the active select devicematerial, the first electrode material, and the second electrodematerial corresponds to an ovonic threshold switch (OTS), and whereinthe active resistive storage element material, the second electrodematerial and the third electrode material correspond to a phase changestorage element.
 12. The method of claim 7, further comprising formingthe first electrode material in direct contact with the first conductivematerial.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the sealingmaterial on the sidewalls of the initial trenches includes sealing atleast a portion of the active resistive storage element material. 14.The method of claim 7, further comprising forming the third electrodematerial in direct contact with the first conductive material.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein forming the sealing material on thesidewalls of the initial trenches includes sealing at least a portion ofthe active select device material.
 16. The method of claim 7, whereinforming the first stack of materials includes forming an active selectdevice material between a first electrode material and a secondelectrode material, forming an active resistive storage element materialbetween the second electrode material and a third electrode material,and forming a second conductive material on the third electrodematerial.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second stack ofmaterials includes a second conductive material and wherein performingthe initial etch through the second stack and the at least the firstportion of the first stack includes etching through the secondconductive material to form second conductive lines.
 18. The method ofclaim 7, wherein forming the first trenches further comprises performingan etch through a second portion of the first stack such that a depth ofthe first plurality of initial trenches is increased subsequent toforming the sealing material on the sidewalls of the plurality ofinitial trenches and prior to performing the second etch.
 19. The methodof claim 18, further comprising forming a sealing material on thesidewalls of the plurality of initial trenches to the increased depth.20. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the sealing material on thesidewalls of the plurality of initial trenches to the increased depthincludes sealing at least a portion of the at least one of the activeresistive storage element material and the active select devicematerial.
 21. A method of forming a plurality of memory cells,comprising: forming a first stack of materials on a substrate, whereinthe first stack comprises; a first electrode material; an activeresistive storage element material in series with an active selectdevice material, wherein a second electrode material is formed in directcontact with and between the active resistive storage element materialand the active select device material; a third electrode material on anopposite side of the stack from the first electrode; forming a firstinitial trench in a first direction through the third electrode materialand ending in the second electrode material such that at least a portionof the second electrode material is exposed; forming a first sealingmaterial on sidewalls of the first initial trench such that at least aportion of a surface of the first sealing material is exposed; andcontinuing forming the first initial trench in the first direction byetching through the first sealing material on a bottom of the firstinitial trench and a remaining portion of the second electrode materialsuch that a portion of at least one of the active resistive storageelement material and the active select device material is the portionthat is exposed first, other than previously exposed materials, duringthe etching.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising forming afirst completed trench in the first direction by etching through: thefirst electrode material; a remaining portion of the at least one of theactive resistive storage element material and the active select devicematerial; and a first conductive material associated with a remainingportion of the first stack.
 23. The method of claim 22, furthercomprising forming a second stack of materials on the third electrodematerial, the second stack comprising a second conductive material thatcovers the first completed trench and is in direct contact with thefirst sealing material and a first dielectric material formed therein.24. The method of claim 23, further comprising forming a second initialtrench in a second direction by etching through: a second hard maskmaterial of the second stack; the second conductive material of thesecond stack; the third electrode material; and wherein the secondinitial trench ends on the second electrode material.
 25. The method ofclaim 24, further comprising forming a second sealing material on thesecond hard mask material remaining on the second conductive materialand sidewalls of the second initial trench to a depth of the secondinitial trench.
 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising forming asecond completed trench in the second direction by etching through:second sealing material formed on a bottom of the second initial trench;the second electrode material; the first electrode material; and whereinthe completed etch ends on the first conductive material.